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New horizons for the accordion. Interview with the duo dissonAnce

The duo dissonAnce arises from the common feelings of wanting to “get away” from the instrument to a different identity reeds, usually known for its past in folkloric repertoires: the accordion. In this perspective, the band offers interpretations and adaptations of music dedicated to generic keyboard instruments or keyboards (organ, harpsichord) parallel to an education and knowledge to the composers, encouraging them to original productions for this training.

Let’s talk about ‘the origins of this project. In which scenario is the duo inserted at birth and how was welcomed?

The first time we played together was at a training course held in Belluno, in the late nineties, by the Master Battiston. The applause at the final concert of the course and the enthusiasm of the same teacher Battiston had dangled the idea of continuing. We have moved away for a while and we had to wait until 2005 to materialize the idea of a stable Duo.

What is your idea, on the basis of your experiences, about the nationally and internationally music scene? There are cultural spheres, but also markets, more receptive than others to a proposal like that of dissonAnce?

The accordion has grown a lot in recent years, both from the point of view of the repertoire and the quality of execution. Despite this accordion still has some difficulty in being recognized as a purely classical part. This is an historic moment in which the performer must be able to re-invent itself, not only in the repertoire but also in the fact of bringing the music outside the traditionally recognized areas, what are the theaters and concert halls. For example, the Duo dissonAnce is a regular guest at Fasol Menin plays, a musical season which takes place in the homonymous winery of the hills of Valdobbiadene, which has nothing to envy to the traditional cinemas in terms of acoustic or logistics. As for the market, as far as we are concerned, and this we are really happy, the program that we can offer in Italy and abroad is devoted to Bach. This year we had the opportunity to run in Berlin, Leipzig (Bach place par excellence), in Vienna and recently in Switzerland.

Can we talk about “Sound Meditations”, the three seasons traveling related to the monograph project on Bach?

“Sound meditations” is a project born in 2012 after the creation of the monographic CD dedicated to the music of J. S. Bach, entitled “Rewrite” and produced by ACD Records. Firmly believing in what has handed down Salvatore di Gesualdo, musician we had the fortune to know: that the accordion can be a summary of the instruments called “by key”, with the possibility of being able to do with the maintained polyphony sound and can be molded like no other: so we wanted to bring the music of Bach, in re-reading “orchestral” for two accordions, in the churches of the major cities of northern and central Italy: Venice, Verona, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Trieste, Florence and Rome, to name a few. We have to say that the public has received this our challenge with great enthusiasm.

We address the issue of the composition process. Yours is a special duo born of an articulated project: what about songs, or arrangements, and with whom you are collaborated with best results?

Next to the transcription of works created by other instruments, we strongly wanted to create, through collaboration with various Italian composers, a veritable repertoire for this formation. We would like to mention all the composers with whom we discussed, because they all have really given a generous contribution to the realization of this operation. Ennio Morricone, which we performed his version for accordion and strings of Building # 2, Andrea Talmelli that has created for us “The tree of the poems of the sea” and “Eve line tango”, Riccardo Riccardi, who wrote “contention” for two accordions and then used the two accordions in opera “A matter of honor”; Claudio Scannavini, who has dedicated the song “Thorn”, Paul Ugoletti, who composed three songs for this duo: “Eleanor Reagby Reel”, “Maedbh the brave” and “Personal Geography”; Gianmartino Durighello, who created “Two Meditations”, Mario Pagotto, who composed the song “Animo”; Francesco Schweizer with the song “Like a dream of Stone”, Nicola Straffelini with “Songs of Water”, Gianantonio Alberton with “Breath”, Massimo Priori with “Sounds grotesque n. 3″, Lorenzo Fattambrini with “Papponmneme”, Rolando Lucchi, who has dedicated to this duo two songs:”Haik” in 2005 and “Slow” of 2012, Daniele Venturi with “Lai”, and finally Ramz Samy Sabry, Egyptian composer who composed “Dance Music”.

Among the various collaborations have also experienced those with chamber ensembles. Can you tell us about?

We are convinced that the accordion can communicate very well with all the other instruments of the orchestra, and that precisely the combination with other instruments can be a towing vehicle for the inclusion of the accordion itself in the most official of classical music.

We have undertaken many years working with many musicians, artists and chamber ensembles. We start from the operation more “accordion”, and that is the birth of the Italian Accordion Quartet along with Ivano Battiston and Ivano Paterno, the association with the Macle Duo (4 hands piano), and also the violinist Alexander Perpich, the guitarist Fabrizia Dalpiaz, the singers Elena Filini and Tamara Soldan, clarinetist Ivan Villanova. Some projects were carried out with the collaboration of the Italian String, under the direction of Damiana Natali, Ensemble Zandonai of Trento, with the direction of Giancarlo Guarino, the string orchestra Legrenzi Franco Poloni, the Tamittam Percussion Ensemble of Venice, with the direction of Guido Facchin. In addition to musicians we worked with different actors: Elena Galvani, Jacopo Laurino and recently with Laura Curino. Finally, and not least, the collaboration with the painter Gastone Biggi, who died recently, which led to the production of CD “Stories with music” by Roberto Caberlotto inspired 10 works of the Master.

Can we talk about the project “Composers and performers” that will be realized in 2015?

“Composers and Performers” is a culturally ambitious and visionary project we’re working on for a few months and that will take place in the autumn of 2015. We have involved four composers: Andrea Talmelli, Fabrizio De Rossi Re, Francesco Schweizer, Titian Bedetti, who will be busy writing a song inspired by a composition of the past. Different musical periods will intertwine with each other, and the accordion will be featured in the two areas that for years we carry: the transcript and the original composition.

Do you have other projects in the near future?

We can say that the ideas are not lacking. If enthusiasm and passion will remain, we believe that the Duo dissonAnce still has much to express.